


Over The Hill

by sourgummyworms



Series: Things Are Really Kriffed Up [2]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Gen, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Pre-Star Wars: Rebels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-04
Updated: 2020-09-11
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:21:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,856
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26289427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sourgummyworms/pseuds/sourgummyworms
Summary: The Empire brought nothing good. Why everyone on the HoloNet seemed so happy about it was beyond Cut.
Relationships: Cut Lawquane/Suu Lawquane
Series: Things Are Really Kriffed Up [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1909039
Comments: 3
Kudos: 16





	1. Safehouse

**Author's Note:**

> Introducing TARFU 2: Electric Boogaloo!
> 
> This work will be similar to the first part, but take place at different times- mostly after the clone wars, but I might do a few pre-war. Hope you enjoy!

The Empire brought nothing good. Why everyone on the HoloNet seemed so happy about it was beyond Cut. It might have suited the elite on the upper crusts of Coruscant, but for him and the rest of the farmers on Saleucami, it only meant mandates and regulations and higher taxes. He didn’t understand why they would need to grow more crops for feeding soldiers when the war he had been created for was over.

At least he still had his farm and family. It was what Cut lived for; and what he would fight for. Even after all these years it still felt like a dream to have the life he did. But, as time passed and Suu was there to calm him after nightmares of Geonosis Cut got… comfortable where he was. When battles weren’t being fought on his front lawn all he needed to worry about was taking care of the farm and not being recognized at the market (which never happened; most civilians had never even seen a clone without a helmet on and never suspected a thing). Now, it seemed, there were greater problems at hand.

Sure, he was bothered by the pressure the new Governor was putting on farmers to produce more at the risk of sucking their soil dry, or the ID checkpoints he had to pass through when delivering his crops. Luckily, the trooper at that stop was a local boy who knew Cut and never looked twice at his forged documents- he could only imagine what would happen if they hadn’t started phasing out clones, and refused to imagine what was to be of his brothers now. Despite it all, Cut would not argue or fight back. That would put attention on him and his family. He would never risk that.

He pondered all of this while staring at the sunset, drinking from a bottle of Corellian brandy. Both made him squint his eyes. There was a blaster mark on one of the fenceposts from Captain Rex’s brief visit. He should fix that. Before Cut could move to get up though, there were slight pink hands on his face.

Suu smoothed a hand over Cut’s scalp, easily relaxing him. “You’re so tense,” she murmured. He shrugged, then jolted when he felt a pinprick of pain near his ear.

“Ow! What was that?”

He turned to see Suu held a short silver hair between two fingers. She studied it with pursed lips but just as quickly flicked it aside. “Just a grey hair, love.”

Oh, yeah. That was one more thing to worry about. Cut was getting older much too fast for his liking. He hadn’t even told Suu yet of his accelerated aging, let alone the kids. What would she think of him when she realized he would be an old man by Shaeeah’s eighteenth birthday? It didn’t bear thinking about.

All he needed to do was lay low as he’d been doing now for nearly three years. Stay out of trouble. What he hadn’t counted on was trouble coming to him.

Another late night checking traps and the electro fences on the perimeter of the farm was coming to a close when Cut heard noise filtering through the cracks of the shed walls. There was a faint light inside, too, casting fast-moving shadows along the ground. Not again, he thought, picking up a pitchfork. Hopefully, it wasn’t another injured soldier. There weren’t many better alternatives, though.

He kicked the door open and pointed his pitchfork at the small group of young adults huddled around a lantern. Some were holding cold bacta packs to bruises on their bodies, visible through ripped-up clothes. They froze like eopie in headlights.

“What are you doing on my property?” Cut growled. A young Rodian woman at the head of the group stood and raised her hands slowly; she must be the leader.

“Just passing through, we needed a place to regroup and rest. We didn’t know anyone was home.”

The farmer scanned the group again and noticed what they were looking at. Around the light were flimsi blueprints of a building- looking more similar to the structures of a city like Coruscant than the local architecture. There were a lot of small rooms all in rows along hallways that looked a lot like…

Prison cells.

“Who are you people?” He raised his pitchfork up again and risked a glance through the door back to the homestead. The lights were still off inside, good.

“No fans of the new Empire,” the girl said. She risked a small step toward Cut. “And I bet you aren’t either.”

Oh, Cut understood now. They thought they were some sort of resistance group. Rebels opposing a galactic regime on this backwater planet like they could actually do anything about it. From their scuffed up looks, they were not too successful. “Get out of here before I report you to the scout troops.”

“You’re bluffing,” another voice claimed. Another one of the Rebels stood, a Twi’lek boy that was probably one of the youngest of the group and the most beat up. Blue, with dark purple bruises. “I know a clone when I see one, there were enough on Ryloth to choke a gundark before I left. You won’t report us, because you’d get caught too.”

Cut’s vision went red as he stood above the boy. He didn’t aim the pitchfork at him, but it was a close thing. “Watch it.”

The Rodian stepped in quickly and tugged the boy back. “Let’s all just calm down, okay? We didn’t mean any harm to come to you or your family. We’ll leave now.” With a look, the others in the group packed up their things. The boy still stared at Cut. “Ollie,” the leader hissed, and he finally moved.

Cut led the group off his property and gave the leader directions to a good place to camp, though warned them to look out for scrapped droid parts that might still have working power packs. The Twi’lek boy, Ollie, straggled behind the rest of the group. At the edge of the field, he turned back to Cut.

“We were protesting peacefully. They’re building a prison just outside the city that we don’t need, and we were just marching outside.”

Cut knew what he was talking about. The construction had been going on for weeks and he watched with dread every time he walked past it on his way to and from the market. The workers would sometimes stop by his stall, too, but couldn’t often afford his produce with their measly pay.

“Our friend was just recording so we could spread the word on the HoloNet and they just… attacked. They said we provoked them or something- and they took him,” Ollie’s voice shook. “We stole the blueprints to try and get him out.”

“I-” Cut started.

“You were smart enough to defect, can’t you see things are getting worse on Saleucami? This planet is supposed to be safe from war, but it’s happening now. You could fight- why don’t you?”

Cut sighed. “I’m not willing to put my family at risk like that. You and your friends can do whatever you want as long as it happens away from them,” he muttered.

“And you think the Empire won’t hurt them more?”

“I know they will! That’s why I can’t have you putting a spotlight over our heads!”

Ollie looked like he wanted to argue more but couldn’t find the words. “I’m done fighting, son. Go on with your friends.”

“Don’t call me son,” Ollie snapped. He calmed down quickly though and looked back at the others. “Thank you, for… your discretion. We’ll keep our distance in return.”

Cut watch the young man go, until all the rebels were only dots on the horizon. He yawned, stretched his sore muscles, and decided it was time to get to bed. The lights were still off as he walked back to the house. When he opened the door though, a shadow sat on the stairwell holding a stuffed tooka. Shaeeah.

She was watching out the window that looked over the shed but whipped her head around when she heard Cut opening the door. He wondered how much she had heard, what she had seen him do. Before he could say anything though, she scampered up the stairs. Her bare feet barely made a sound on the wood.

Cut’s boots clunked up them loudly in comparison, so by the time he shuffled into his bedroom Suu had woken up. “What took you so long?’ she asked groggily. Cut justs shrugged and flopped into the bed next to her. She got comfortable laying next to him and closed her eyes, but sensed that her husband was still awake. “What’s on your mind?”

“Just… wondering what my brothers are up to.”


	2. Worth Fighting For

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All grown up, Shaeeah Lawquane visits home on Saleucami.  
> (pt 2 of Safehouse)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's Star Wars without father/child stories?

Cut bid a friendly goodbye to his last customer before starting to pack up his stall at the market. It was earlier than he usually left, but he had a good reason.

His daughter was coming to visit.

The joints in his knees ached bending down to reach a fallen crate, and he winced coming back up. Cut clutched at his back and felt someone’s hand on his shoulder.

“Let me help you with that.”

Cut beamed. He turned and hugged Shaeeah tightly. She quickly hugged him back, her mottled tan and blue arms around his shoulders. “I missed you,” said the young woman.

“Let me get a good look at you,” Cut pulled back and admired how much his daughter had grown over the years. She was nearly as tall as him now with a fierce smile to match her mother’s. Her arms had more muscle on them, too, looking like his did after hefting his blaster around. “How’s university been on Bar’leth? Are you keeping up on all your loan payments, because if you need credits we could scrounge up what you nee-”

“I’m fine,” Shaeeah interrupted his rambling. “About that, though…”

“Hey.”

Two stormtroopers stood by the packed up stall. Their gleaming white armor reflected the setting sun into Cut’s eyes. “Didn’t forget to give us some meilooruns, did you?”

“Ah, no. Of course not,” Cut said hastily. He waved away Shaeeah’s confusion and wariness and went to open one of the crates. He handed two of the fruits over to the men- regulars, at this point. They came over at the end of their patrol each day to pester him.

They began to walk away but Shaeeah stepped in front with determination in her eyes. “Hey. You forgot to pay.”

The stormtroopers laughed. His daughter only scowled and stood her ground. “Pay? The old man owes us some nourishment- we protect him and the rest of the locals from rebel scum.”

Shaeeah only seemed to take it as a compliment. Before she could open her mouth though, Cut jumped between her and the patrol. “And she’s very grateful for that. Here, have another two for tomorrow,” he offered more meilooruns to them. Thankfully they took them and started to leave again. Shaeeah very nearly went after them again when they muttered a good evening to him and “the half-breed” but Cut held her back again.

Sheeah kept her glare on the troopers as they walked away. “Why do you let them treat you like that, Dad?” she asked quietly.

“No harm done,” Cut replied without really answering the question. It’s not like he could come up with one to satisfy the girl.

~

The ride back was quiet and tenser than he would have liked, but Cut could tell Shaeeah was still happy to be home. She basked in the late evening sun and reached her arms out of the cart to touch the tall grasses. When the farm was in sight her muscles relaxed- Cut hadn’t even noticed they were tense before- and she hopped out of the still moving cart to run to the front door. Jek and Suu were waiting.

Shaeeah gave her mother a tight hug before she did the same to Jek, though that turned into an impromptu wrestling match. The boy was only a few years younger than her and would be leaving the nest too, soon enough. He’d expressed his intent to stay on-planet, though. The farthest he would go anytime soon was the agricultural school in the eastern hemisphere of Saleucami. Close enough to visit more than once or twice a cycle.

“How have classes been?” Suu asked once they had settled at the kitchen table around a plate of fresh-baked blue milk rolls. Their daughter squirmed in her seat.

“Fine. Good,” she shrugged.

“Made any friends?” Cut tried.

“Uh, yeah. A few. Glem, Andy, Yvonne,” she listed off the names, picking at her roll.

“That’s great! Same major as you? Mechanical engineering still, right?”

“Actually I met them in- listen Mom, Dad,” Shaeeah huffed. She opened her mouth a few times before seeming to find the right words. “I can’t keep the truth from you. I left school a few months ago to… to fight in the rebellion.”

If Cut was a younger man he would have jumped out of his chair at her confession. Instead all he ended up doing was tensing every muscle in his body and still wincing at what it did to his back. Luckily his lungs worked just fine and he used them to shout “WHAT?”

Jek’s shock was more excited as he stared at his older sister in awe. Suu seemed angry like Cut, but only pursed her lips in concern. Cut turned back to Shaeeah.

“You’re grounded.”

“Dad!” Shaeeah argued. “I thought you would be proud!”

“You’re not going to be running around with a bunch of rioters with the Imperial Army chasing you down. You’d get killed!”

“I’m fine,” Shaeeah stood up, spinning around sarcastically. “You see any missing limbs? Scars? I’m doing great, and I’m doing what I want.”

“You don’t know what you want; you’re a child.”

“I’m twenty!”

Cut was too angry to come up with more arguments, too tired. “Go to your room,” he ordered gruffly.

Instead, she stormed out the door. The old wooden walls of the farmhouse did nothing to help the empty silence. Jek was looking at the door his older sister had exited through, waiting for her to come back inside. Suu glared at her husband before standing up to clear the table. “Go talk to her,” she said. “Give her a moment to breathe, but then go apologize.”

~

The sun was fully out of sight, but light from it still hung in the sky. Bugs sounded in the tall grasses, and the wood on the stairs creaked when Cut walked down to sit next to Shaeeah.

“If you don’t have anything new to say just go back inside,” she mumbled. Her mottled arms were resting on her knees by her chin, and she stared at one of her lekku that had fallen to rest on her shoulder. “I’ll come in before it gets too dark.”

Cut fiddled with the toy in his hand before handing it over. His daughter looked at it curiously, recognizing it as the stuffed tooka she used to sleep with. “Just have a peace offering. It’ll be nice to put on your bed when you go back to the dorms.” She scoffed.

“How many times do I have to say it? I’m in the rebellion now and I won’t change my mind!”

“What could possibly be better for you in some rebellion instead of a promising future with a real education? You worked hard to get into that school,” Cut asked.

“We’re fighting to restore the Republic, a government where the people can be heard and not silenced! Where we could fight to get you citizenship, Dad!”

“You don’t need to worry about me, Shaeeah,” Cut assured her. “There’s no need to do that when I won’t be around much longer anyway.”

“Don’t say that,” she warned. Her voice shook and there were tears already welling up in her eyes. “Don’t you say that, Dad. You’re gonna see freedom. I’ll get us there. Just let me fight, please.”

Cut was silent for a long time but he held his daughter on their run-down porch trying to memorize the moment. “You’ll go whether or not I say you should.”

“I’ll fight better knowing I have someone to do it for.”

She turned from the horizon to face him, wrinkles and grey hair and all. He didn’t say anything more but he stopped trying to talk her out of it.

~

The week she stayed felt too short and soon she was packing up her things to return to the fight. After much deliberation, Cut handed her his old blaster. Shaeeah said goodbye to the others Cut accompanied her to the spaceport. “Be safe,” he advised. “Listen to your commander and don’t get caught and call when you can.”

“I will,” Shaeeah promised. She gave him one final hug, then hesitated before standing at attention and saluting Cut. He laughed and humored her, saluting back. She stood tall as she left for the rebellion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cut is best buir
> 
> can you tell i had chronic back pain while writing this

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!  
> Also, I'm not exactly married to the title so if you have a better title idea PLEASE suggest one :P


End file.
